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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25569703">Nature</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrinahEke/pseuds/TrinahEke'>TrinahEke</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:20:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,456</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25569703</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrinahEke/pseuds/TrinahEke</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Eva, a 14 year old girl has recently discovered she has magical abilities.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Nature</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 1-
Eva</p>
<p>Eva Gallagher knew she had magical abilities, the test had said so, so why couldn't she do...magic. She concentrated on the wooden spoon as hard as she could but it resolutely refused to budge. In her peripheral vision she could see  her fellow students spoons, floating, dancing and even doing loop the loops.  Tears welled up in her eyes, she fought them back. She closed her eyes mentally begged the spoon to move.<br/>
“Eva, come with me.” said Anita gently.<br/>
“I tried, I really tried...” began Eva.<br/>
“I know, it's alright.” reassured Anita. “I am taking to you meet someone who can help.”<br/>
Eva lost the fight again the tears. They were going to kick her out of school, she was sure of it.<br/>
“Don't worry, it's going to be fine.” said Anita.<br/>
Eva didn't believe it would be fine, she had been so excited to learn she had magical abilities and the Winterley School for Girls was going to teach her. She hadn't even minded being away from her family. Magic just felt right somehow, like she was born for this. But now she had failed and was going home. She began sobbing.<br/>
“This way.” said Anita, leading her to a visitor's room.<br/>
Had they already called her parents, were they waiting to take her home? Anita opened the door and ushered her inside. Eva's feet felt like leads weights as she slowly trudged through the door with her head down.<br/>
“You must be Eva.” said an unfamiliar female voice.<br/>
Eva managed to lift her head and look through tear clouded eyes at the lone figure in the room. 
“Please have a seat.” she said.<br/>
Eva looked at the seating area, with soft looking modular chairs, she managed to trudge to the nearest one and sat down.<br/>
“I'm Stephanie Vaughn, but you can call my Steph. I understand you are having trouble accessing your magic.”<br/>
Tears streamed down Eva's face as she nodded in affirmation.<br/>
“As you were taught when you arrived here, all magic is routed in nature, we can only mimic the natural world. The natural world doesn't have wooden spoons.”<br/>
Eva lifted her head for the first time since entering the room. “Is that why I...couldn't move it?” she asked.<br/>
“I can't answer that for you. It's certainly why I couldn't move it when I was your age.” replied Steph.<br/>
“You...you couldn't do it?” asked Eva.<br/>
Steph gently shook her head whilst smiling at Eva. Eva felt compelled to return the smile. “Do you want to try again with something else?” asked Steph.<br/>
“Yes...yes please.” replied Eva.<br/>
Steph reached an arm over the back of her chair and retrieved a rucksack. She flipped it open and emptied it's contents onto the floor between them. The floor was strewn with pine cones, leaves, twigs and acorns.<br/>
“Remember that magic is routed in nature, think about how these object move in nature. Let's start with a leaf.”<br/>
Eva looked at the assorted leaves on the floor and thought about how they move in nature. She pictured a tree with leaves swaying in the breeze. Without even consciously choosing a leaf one had started swaying on the floor.<br/>
“Good. Now think about autumn when the fallen leaves get blown around.” said Steph.<br/>
Eva remembered watching leaves swirling around the back garden at home when she was a young child, she had thought it was magical. She smiled at the memory, all of the leaves started swirling around between her and Steph.<br/>
“Very good.” said Steph.<br/>
Eva beamed, she was so happy. She could do magic, she could actually do it.<br/>
“The next step is learning control. Have you seen the Mexican Wave?” asked Steph.<br/>
Eva nodded.<br/>
“Good, I am going to line up the leaves and I want you to lift one at a time in sequence.” said Steph. Steph looked at the leaves and they moved into a uniform line. “OK, ready?” she asked.<br/>
Eva nodded enthusiastically. Steph gestured for her to begin. Eva thought of the Mexican Wave, the first leaf lifted up and dropped back down but the second one failed to move. Eva started to panic.<br/>
“It's OK. It takes practise, this will be your first homework assignment.” said Steph.<br/>
“Homework? You mean I can stay in school?” asked Eva.<br/>
“Of course. All of your magic lessons with be with me from now on though.” replied Steph.<br/>
Eva breathed a sigh of relief.<br/>
“I want you to practise the Mexican Wave. You may not it get today or tomorrow or in a week, it's precision magic, it's takes time to master. We will have our next lesson tomorrow on the footbridge...do you know where the footbridge is?”<br/>
Eva nodded.<br/>
“Good, tomorrow at 10.30.” said Steph.<br/>
“What...where do I go now?” asked Eva.<br/>
“Take this rucksack ...” said Steph studying the floor as pine cones, twigs, acorns and leaves levitated into the rucksack. 
“and contents...find somewhere quiet, without a draft to practise.” replied Steph.<br/>
Eva smiled. “Thank you.” she said.<br/>
Steph returned the smile. “Tomorrow, 10.30, footbridge, don't be late.” she said before leaving the room.<br/>
Eva sat and processed all that had just happened. Then she giggled, it was the first time she had laughed since her first magic lesson when she had failed to move the sheet of paper. She hadn't been the only one of course, most of the class had failed the first time but she had failed repeatedly. 

Eva had always been fascinated with the idea of magic. She had read and re-read the Harry Potter series, hoping to get the acceptance letter when she was 11, but of course it never came. 
She had discovered the Otherworld series and found Paige Winterbourne and Savannah Levine, both powerful witches, how desperately she had wanted to be in their world.<br/>
At the age of 14 her dream of actually performing magic seemed a reality. She was invited to attend a boarding school for 'gifted' teens. Although her parents thought it was her academic gifts they had sought her out for. She still had no idea how the school had known about her, she had never performed magic before today. Magic...she had performed magic, she giggled again.<br/>
Eva took a deep breath, releasing it out slowly. She grabbed the rucksack, reached inside and pulled out the leaves, she lined them up on the floor. Concentrating on the Mexican Wave, she tried again, this time the first leaf lifted and fell followed by the second, the third failed to move. She smiled, she could do this, she could actually do this. Eva spent another 20 minutes practising the Mexican Wave but the third leaf stubbornly refused to move. She looked at her watch, 5 minutes until Maths class, she reluctantly packed the leaves in the rucksack and headed out of the room.<br/>
English followed Maths. Eva found it difficult to concentrate, she desperately wanted to practise the Mexican wave.  
Lunch followed English, Eva considered skipping food, but the sensible part of her brain wouldn't let her. She lined up with the other students. When it was finally her turn she grabbed a sandwich and a bottle of water and headed off to find somewhere to practise. She found an empty class room, and set out the leaves. After taking a bite of the sandwich she set to work on the Mexican Wave, this time the third leave moved slightly but refused to lift into the air as the first two had done. She sighed, took another bite of sandwich and a sip of water.<br/>
“What am I doing wrong?” she thought to herself. She took a deep breath releasing it slowly and tried again. This time the third leaf lifted as the first two had, she was so relieved she didn't even attempt the fourth.<br/>
“Breathing” Eva thought to herself. She sat up straight, took a deep breath in, releasing it slowly then attempted the Mexican Wave once again. The first leaf rose, as it began to fall the second leave rose, the same happened with the third and the fourth. Eva clapped her hands together in jubilation.<br/>
“I am a witch” Eva thought to herself with conviction, it was the first time she had actually allowed the thought to form in her head. “I am a witch”, she repeated.<br/>
<br/>
Eva had spent the rest of the day with a smile plastered on her face, she attended lessons and practised whenever she could. The smile was still on her face when she fell into bed that night exhausted but the happiest she had ever been in her entire life. She fell asleep looking forward to her next lesson.</p>
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